Archaeological sites
of Las Médulas
Archaeological sites
of Las Médulas
Any visit to Las Médulas is an immersion into a land that was so marked by the gold mining that once took place here.
Yacimientos arqueológicos de Las Médulas
You will see that the chestnut tree, an old protagonist of Las Médulas, is abundant. With its thick, twisted trunk and spiky, hedgehog-like conker casings, the chestnut tree grows stout and full next to the oak tree, having borne witness to the passing of time due to its longevity. If it could speak, it could tell us about the many goings-on that took place here over the centuries. This tree in fact originated in Asia and was brought to the peninsula by the Romans. While it already existed in Las Médulas, the arrival of Rome led to the spread of its cultivation.
The Domus de Pedreiras de Lago was home to the Roman administrative elite in charge of mining.
Domus de Pedreiras de Lago
Castro de Peña del Hombre
Domus de Pedreiras
de Lago
The Domus de Pedreiras de Lago was home to the Roman administrative elite in charge of mining.
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The visit to the Domus de Pedreiras de Lago is free of charge and the site is open 24 hours a day.
The villa was located near the site of the present-day village of Lago de Carucedo and was hidden under the ground. It is located at the foot of the Roman road that led from Astorga (Asturica Augusta) to Braga (Bracara Augusta), a city in northern Portugal.
Now restored, it is an exceptional enclave of the cultural heritage of Las Médulas near Lake Carucedo. Nowadays the entrance takes advantage of the wall of a lime exploitation, established on the site in the last century, to facilitate access for visitors with reduced mobility.
A tour of the interior reveals the walls of the original construction with its courtyards surrounded by a peristyle or colonnaded gallery around which the various rooms were distributed. Fragments of elegant stuccoes with marble decorative motifs are preserved, protected by an enclosure of perforated metal panels for easy viewing. In addition, an octagonal fountain is envisaged in one of the courtyards, together with the peristyle.
Peña del Hombre
Hillfort
Considered one of the oldest archaeological remains to be seen in Las Médulas, the pre-Roman settlement of Peña del Hombre is a fortified settlement located between Villavieja and Paradela de Muces, villages in the municipality of Priaranza del Bierzo.
Tips from other travellers
The hillfort, surrounded by oak trees, is located next to the Ferradillo stream at the foot of the rock from which it takes its name, on the northern slope of the Montes Aquilianos. The enclosure has the characteristic stone constructions of the castle. They are dwellings that, due to their proximity to each other and the good use of space, indicate that the settlement exhibits a proto-urbanism, made with typical pre-Roman construction techniques, distributed around two streets parallel to the wall.
The hamlet is completed on the outside by a robust defensive system with a three-metre-thick wall, moat and a watchtower, the foundations of which can still be seen next to what is thought to have been the entrance to the enclosure.
Among the most curious details of their way of life are the different rooms in the house. It was accessed through a courtyard and the heart of the activity was located in the kitchen, where fires burned (called hearths) with rammed earth and delimited by plateaus or bases, where benches and beds were placed to keep warm by the fire. The walls also have projections used as shelves for storing food and everyday utensils.
The landscape adds magic to this archaeological site because it is located at an altitude of 1147 metres, offering excellent panoramic views.
Its original inhabitants made their living from agriculture and livestock farming in the pastures of the Ferradillo valley. Although it was distant from everything, it was covered with oak trees as we see it today, and also with pine trees.
It was a safe enclave where its inhabitants also extracted minerals such as iron, silver, copper and gold from the surrounding area. The hillfort also played an important defensive role, as it was located on the natural pass from the plateau to the Astur-Galician lands of the northwest of the peninsula, reinforced by the natural barrier provided by the river Sil.
Inspiration for your trip
Las Médulas form a Cultural Space that begins with the union between water and the human hand to lead it into the interior of the mountains.
Explore the most emblematic parts of Las Médulas with itineraries to discover the exceptional natural values of this terrain and its particular cultural features.
They provide you with essential information on the different ways to go about your visit.
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